


Rhodey's Suburban Life

by transboypeteparker



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-30 19:56:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20102767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transboypeteparker/pseuds/transboypeteparker
Summary: Colonel James Rhodes moves into a new house in the suburbs. His new neighbor? Newly divorced single father Anthony Stark, who is insanely smart, insanely gorgeous, and just straight up insane with his vendetta against the homeowner's association.





	Rhodey's Suburban Life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [whosraining](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whosraining/gifts).

When the realtor had sold the house to Rhodey, all she had said was that it was in a nice neighborhood with welcoming neighbors. She'd told him the people were sweet, the lawns were beautiful, and he would fit in with everyone in no time. What she  _ hadn’t _ told him was that his next-door neighbor was insanely gorgeous, insanely smart, and just straight up insane, with some wild vendetta against their neighborhood’s homeowner’s association. 

From what Rhodey had learned at his first block party, his neighbor was newly divorced Anthony Stark, who worked for some fancy tech company and liked to spend his hours making treats for his daughter Morgan’s pre-school bake sale with his son and the boy from across the street. Anthony also held a fiery hatred for Karen of 3298 Willow Way, the president of the homeowner’s association, and his favorite hobby--besides throwing tea parties with his five-year-old--was making Karen’s life a living hell. He attended almost every one of her meetings, took notes, and was terribly good at causing trouble. Which, just Rhodey’s luck, meant he was inevitably going to get dragged into it.

It didn’t take as long as he initially thought for Karen to show up at his door with some sort of casserole, talking a mile a minute about introducing herself to the brave war hero who had just moved in. It took him a second to realize she was talking about him.  _ He  _ was the brave war hero. Funny. He didn’t feel like it. He just felt tired and completely done with dealing with Karen of the homeowner’s association. But she was important here, and Rhodey didn’t want to cause any trouble, so he invited her in for a glass of sweet tea to get over the July heat.

“I must tell you, Colonel Rhodes, it really is so wonderful to have you join our little community,” Karen said as she settled herself onto one of his wicker porch chairs. “The kids could really use someone like you around.”

“Oh, um, well glad to be of some use. And you can just call me Ja--”

“I’m just so sorry that you got stuck next to  _ Anthony _ ,” she hissed, her sugar-sweet voice dripping with venom as she glared at his neighbor who was chasing a child around their yard. “That man, pardon my gossip, is the cancer of this neighborhood. He has to fight me on  _ every _ decision I make with the homeowner’s association.” 

Karen sighed and brushed her hair over her shoulder with a delicate flip of her perfectly manicured hand. She then fixed Rhodey with a look, tilting her head and blinking slowly. It hit him that she was waiting for him to say something.

“Why would he do something like that?” Rhodey asked, slipping into a sympathetic tone of voice while internally rolling his eyes. He couldn’t give a flying fuck about neighborhood politics. “I haven’t officially met him yet, but he seems like a good dad to--”

“Oh, honey, you’ll see in time.” Karen reached over and patted his knee like he was some child who didn’t understand the adults yet. “That poor child. Having him as a father and then a workaholic for a mother. It just breaks my heart.”

Rhodey hadn’t heard anything about Anthony’s ex-wife before. It had seemed like everyone took care not to mention her, and Rhodey was not about to poke that sleeping bear. Karen, however, did not have any qualms about gossiping about the man.

“He sure is a looker, though, isn’t he?”

He coughed as he saw Karen lean over to get a better look at Anthony. Oh god, did she bite her lip? Rhodey took a sip of his sweet tea,  _ totally _ not giving in to Karen’s bad influence and checking out his, once again, insanely gorgeous neighbor. And so, of course, Anthony had to look over. And they had to lock eyes. Karen narrowed her eyes as Anthony whispered something to the girl and approached Rhodey’s porch.

“Afternoon, Karen,” he greeted while wiping away some sweat from above his delicious brown eyes.

“Anthony.”

The pair scowled at each other, neither seeming to want to be the one to look away first. Rhodey blinked and held back a sigh. Why did he decide to move to the suburbs again? Finally, he realized their little staring match wouldn’t end unless he interrupted, so he cleared his throat and offered Anthony a smile.

“I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m your new neighbor, James Rhodes.”

Anthony shook his hand, and Rhodey almost jumped as their skin touched. His neighbor really was exceptionally, devastatingly attractive. He could get lost in those dark eyes… and the things those hands and arms could do...

“Tony,” Anthony said, shaking Rhodey from his borderline sinful thoughts. “And that’s my daughter, Morgan, causing a mess over there. Welcome to the neighborhood.” 

“I can’t believe Colonel Rhodes moved in over a week ago and you  _ still _ hadn’t come over here to say hi,” Karen sneered. 

“Yeah? I see it’s taken you just as long to bring over your casserole, Karen. What’s the holdup? The colonel here not good enough to be your new boy toy?”

Karen pursed her lips and tapped her nails on Rhodey’s porch railing. “Well, it was wonderful meeting you, Colonel Rhodes. I do hope to see you at some of the block parties. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a mommy-daughter pilates class to get to.”

She made her way down his driveway and shot Anthony--no, Tony--one last glare. Rhodey looked back at his neighbor and swallowed a whimper when Tony leaned close to him, their chests and cheeks practically touching.

“Hope Karen has brainwashed you just yet, Rhodey,” Tony whispered with a devilish smirk.

Oh, hell. He was fucked.


End file.
